The Cult as Death Cult at the Gramercy Theatre

A Nearly Forgotten Rock Band Resurrects

Death Cult was an outgrowth of the band Southern Death Cult, a British band which lasted a mere 16 months from 1981 to 1983. Death Cult, led by vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, released an eponymous four-song EP in 1983. Within a year, Death Cult abbreviated its name to the Cult. As the Cult moved away from its early gothic-leaning music to a more contemporary hard rock sound, success followed, first in the band’s native land and then worldwide by the 1990s. All traces of Death Cult gradually disappeared.

The Cult announced earlier this year that the band would tour North America in 2025 celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of the Death Cult EP. (The tour would be the EP’s 42nd anniversary, but who is counting?) The EP initially was released only in the United Kingdom, France and Japan, and repackaged several times since then for broader distribution, yet it enjoyed limited commercial success. Did anyone miss Death Cult over the past 40 years? Not likely. Nevertheless, the anniversary was a good enough reason for the musicians to live life on the rock and roll map once again.

Death Cult, comprised of the same musicians as the Cult’s present lineup, was to serve as the tour’s opening act for the Cult. Death Cult, performing Death Cult and early Cult music, would play no music beyond the Cult’s mainstream-breaking 1985 Love album. The Cult’s 11th and most recent studio album, Under the Midnight Sun, was released in 2022, so the band’s 2025 concert tour had no new album to promote. The Cult would perform a career-spanning retrospective. The New York City date was announced for the Beacon Theatre on October 14.

About a week before the 2,800-capacity Beacon Theatre concert, the Cult announced that it would perform a more intimate concert at the 650-capacity Gramercy Theatre two nights earlier. Although ticketholders at the Gramercy may have expected a Cult/Death Cult experience like at the Beacon, the smaller show proved to be simply a Death Cult show.

Speaking with Scott Lips, host of the Lipps Service podcast, Astbury said that these Death Cult shows would be “a way to witness a burning unicorn.” He added, “This isn’t an archaeological dig. This isn’t the Smithsonian. We’re not trying to recreate 1983.” He explained that “one of the strange aspects of music is it’s played in the moment. It’s about the visceral experience of what we’re gonna do.”

As such, the Death Cult experience was not designed to be a historical recreation but an attempt to relate old songs to the now. At the Gramercy Theatre, Astbury came on stage looking very modern, not like a musician from the early 1980s. He wrapped his hairline in a bandanna, with a small man-bun poking out at the crown. He wore baggy trousers that looked like a long fluffy skirt when he stood still. Duffy, on the other hand, with his dark hair and dark beard, cut a timeless masculine figure in black from neck to toe, accented by black sweatbands on his wrists.

Due to a shortage of Death Cult songs, the Gramercy Theatre concert was half old Cult songs. Being pre-fame Cult songs, the majority of the audience might not have been familiar with the repertoire until the final encore, “She Sells Sanctuary.” More rocking than gothic, Death Cult rocked the old songs in solid, modern form. Throughout the show, Astbury focused on singing and working the audience, while Duffy seldom took his eyes off of the frets on his guitar. The rhythm section of bassist Charlie Jones and drummer John Tempesta hammered the songs with bottom-heavy thrust. When Duffy played lead guitar, he stole the spotlight. For most of the show, however, the musicians allowed Astbury to own the stage. He no longer sounds like Jim Morrison of the Doors, but his rich, throaty vocals were captivating.

Fair enough, the Gramercy Theatre’s marquee read only “Death Cult Tonight.” Without the Cult following the Death Cult set at this gig, though, the concert felt like a half concert. The Death Cult set was performed well, but lacked the gravitas and punch of the Cult’s later hard rock songs. In brief, Death Cult would serve as a fine warm-up act for the Cult, but on its own, Death Cult was just okay. The Cult is a far superior band.

Setlist

1. Ghost Dance
2. Ressurection Joe (The Cult cover)
3. Gods Zoo
4. 83rd Dream (The Cult cover)
5. C.O.T.A. (The Cult Cover)
6. Brothers Grimm
7. Butterflies (The Cult cover)
8. Christians
9. Horse Nation
10. Dreamtime (The Cult cover)
11. Spiritwalker (The Cult cover)

Encore

1. Moya (The Southern Death Cult cover)
2. She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult cover)

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The Manhattan Beat regularly lists the best live music events coming to the New York City area. The twice-weekly guide also celebrates via photographs some of the musicians who have performed locally in the past few days.

Everynight Charley recommends the following 40+ concerts in the New York City area this week. Consult the web site or social media of the venue for more information about a show, including location and directions, parking, ticket availability, show times, age restrictions, and COVID compliance.

For a more complete listing of upcoming performances in the New York City area, visit The Manhattan Beat's October calendar.